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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · staff · dip · hand · fork · object · foot · pitch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. staff — employees
  7. dip — to sink
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. object — a thing
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hand — help
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com